Metal and Lasers
by SerenBex
Summary: Second in a series. The second Evie Jones story... Haven't really come up with a Title yet, so suggestions are welcome! Comment if you like it - constructive criticism is also welcome! But if you don't like the story, I'm not gonna force you to read it!
1. You're Not My Mother

"Evie… get back in this TARDIS… NOW!" The Doctor shouted at his young companion. The teenager rolled her eyes and wandered slowly back to the little blue box the man was leaning out of annoyed.

"God… you're not my mother." She muttered under her breath as she approached.

"I heard that." The Doctor replied, a slight smirk on his lips. He'd taken the eighteen-year-old on a sightseeing tour of The Leisure Hive of Argolis in an attempt to keep her out of too much trouble while her arm was still healing.

Since their adventures with Mr Darcy and the Slitheen, Evie had made a remarkable recovery. The Doctor couldn't understand how one minute there had been a huge gash on her arm, through which she was losing too much blood to be safe, and the next it was almost completely healed. It was still sore and, if the girl moved it too quickly or put too much strain on it, he could see her wincing with pain. She never complained, though.

But now she was getting bored of his schemes to keep her under control. Evie had bugged him until he'd told her all sorts of stories about his adventures, his past companions and the aliens he'd encountered. She was eager to prove that she was just as capable as the rest of them; something the Doctor didn't doubt.

"OK." She said as he closed the doors firmly behind her with a roll of his eyes and moved to set the co-ordinates for their next destination on the console. "Where next?" He gave her a look that Evie didn't like. She didn't like it at all. "What have you done?" She demanded.

"I haven't done anything!" He protested. "But I'm taking you home, before we go anywhere else."

"What?" Evie stared at him hurt. She thought that this meant that he didn't want her around anymore. Confused, the teenage girl turned away. Realising what she must be thinking, the Doctor backtracked quickly.

"What I meant is, I'm taking you home for a visit… so you can see your family. You know, check they're alright."

Evie still didn't look totally convinced, but she trusted him. "Alright. But then can we go somewhere exciting, please. No more tours of alien museums."

"They're cultural." The Doctor said, almost defensively. Evie rolled her eyes and leant backwards against the control panel, feeling it whirring against her back. It was comforting in a strange way, almost as though it reminded her of something that she couldn't quite remember.

After several minutes the Doctor put on the stabilisers and grinned at her. "We're here. Lower Appley, Saturday August 15th 2009." Evie grinned back, excited to be home. And on the same day she'd left.

The Doctor held the door of the TARDIS open for her and she gave him a sarcastic curtsey as she passed. He laughed and followed her out, turning to lock the door behind them. As he pocketed the key, he realised that Evie was no longer at his side and looked around quickly. The teenager was kneeling by the newspaper board in front of the village shop.

Wondering what she could be looking at so intently, the Doctor walked quickly to her side and glanced down. Now he understood. He closed his eyes feeling emotion surging up inside him as he read the headline printed in big, bold black letters on the white paper.

'**Body confirmed as missing teenager Evie Jones'**

With a groan, he put a comforting hand on Evie's shoulder. She shook it off immediately, as though his touch was repellent to her.

"Don't." She snapped, standing up abruptly and turning to him. Her eyes were sparkling dangerously and her lip had curled as she snarled at him. "Don't touch me. You," she prodded his chest with her finger, making him wince, "you promised that they wouldn't even know I was gone… but now I'm dead? What the hell?"

The Timelord allowed the teenager to pummel him angrily with her firsts until she was too weak to carry on. Then he held her tightly, burying his face in her hair and stroking her back comfortingly. Guilt was surging through his body with his blood. He knew she was right; it was all his fault. But there was nothing he could do now to save her from the pain she was feeling.

"You're not actually dead." He told her in a low voice. "That body isn't yours. All you have to do is go home. They'll see you're alive and it'll all be over."

Evie looked at him, curiously. She disentangled herself from his hold and stood backwards, thinking hard.

"Really?" She breathed. He nodded. "But then… they'd never let me out of their sight… I'd have to stay here. I couldn't risk putting them through this again."

The Doctor felt another jolt inside him. He'd be losing her. Evie made him feel strange… not in a romantic way, she was just a kid, but she made him feel like he needed to protect her; to make sure she was alright. The thought of never seeing her made him feel physically sick. But, if that was what she wanted, he would have to deal with it.

"I'll go and get a paper." He said, wanting to draw out the time before the moment when he had to say goodbye. "We can see what it says."

The teenager nodded as he passed her the TARDIS key and headed back across the green towards the blue box. As she went, she stopped, hearing footsteps and familiar voices. Half anxious, half thrilled, she realised that they were the voices of her best friends; Sarah, Poppy and Sam.

As they rounded the corner, Evie watched them, grinning broadly. They came closer, but didn't once look at her. Furrowing her brow Evie watched as, without once so much as glancing in her direction, the three teenagers walked straight passed.

"OI!" She shouted, confused. Why were they ignoring her? Surely they should be happy to see that she wasn't dead after all. Sarah sniffed, blowing her nose on a tissue that was clutched tightly in her hand. Her eyes were red and puffy, as were those of the other two. Sam seemed to be supporting them as they walked. "Sar? Sam? Pops?"

Freaking out a little, she jogged over to them, standing right in their way. "Guys?" They didn't hesitate. The three teenagers walked straight at her and then, making Evie feel sick, they walked straight through her. Her mouth falling open, she turned and watched them walking away.

Her legs turned to jelly and she collapsed, shaking, in a heap on the ground. The Doctor, who had seen her fall through the shop window sprinted across to her and scooped her up in his arms, the paper clutched tightly in his other hand. He carried her to the TARDIS, unlocked it and laid her gently on the floor. She blinked several times, looking at him through pain-filled eyes.

"I think… I think I'm actually dead." She whispered to him.


	2. Keep an Eye Out for That Blue Box

"Listen… '_The body of Evie Jones, who turned eighteen just a week before her disappearance last month at the Lower Appley Church fete, was discovered on Tuesday night, washed up by the River Appley just ten minutes from the farm where she lived with her Grandparents and two younger sisters after the tragic death of their mother in a car crash five years ago._'" The Doctor read from the local paper.

"What about my dad… he died in the car crash too." Evie said, sounding unsure of what she was saying. "I think he did, anyway… I can't quite remember…"

The Doctor looked at her curiously. How could she not remember whether her father had died as well? Then he banished the thought; she obviously wasn't thinking straight at the moment. She had just found out that she was dead, after all.

The paper had shown photos of the body they'd found on the river bank. It was battered and bruised, the clothes all ripped and covered in mud and blood, but it was unmistakably Evie. The teenager had gasped as her eyes had focused on the photographs. Seeing herself like that was horrible.

"But how can I be dead?" She asked looking down at herself. "Am I a ghost?"

The Doctor sighed and smiled weakly, shaking his head. "No, there aren't any ghosts, I told you that before. It's complicated, maybe too complicated, but timelines are tricky. They aren't linear, they run backwards and forwards and up and down and loop back on themselves."

"So I'm not dead?" Evie asked, sounding relieved.

He shook his head. "No, Evie, you're not."

"Well… this says otherwise." She argued with a sigh, returning her gaze to the paper. "_'Sarah Baker, a close friend of Evie's, said that the teenager wasn't the sort of person to go off with strangers. "She was far too sensible for that." Miss Baker sobbed as she thought about her friend. "She grew up in London and was always very wary of strangers. She'd never go off with someone she didn't know." Witnesses, however, say that she was seen talking to a tall, dark man minutes before she disappeared. This same dark man was seen watching the girl several times throughout the day.'_"

"Oh…" The Doctor said, looking sheepish. "They think _I_ killed you."

"Well did you?" Evie demanded; her eyes wide with shock. The Doctor looked equally horrified at her question.

"What? Evie… I could never kill you. Ever." He assured her hastily, hoping that she believed him. For a split second she gazed back, her eyes wide and full of concern. Then she grinned.

"Ha! Got you!" She laughed. The Doctor exhaled sharply, furious with her for messing with his head like that. "I know you could never kill me." Noticing that the man was annoyed at her, she hopped off the console and went to his side, laying a hand on his arm. "Sorry…"

She wrapped her arms around his waist, breathing in his smell. She found it comforting; it made her feel like a child again and she knew that he would always be there to protect her. If she needed protecting that was; Evie rarely needed that.

"Listen… I've been thinking." She continued as he hugged her back. "My family think I'm dead, right?" He nodded, wondering where she was going with this. He was slightly intrigued and more than a little concerned that she seemed to be taking the news that she was dead, in this world at least, very well. "Well… if I go and announce that I'm actually alive – not that I can, because apparently no one can see or hear me anymore – then it's just going to mess them up. They'll never be able to understand all of this. As much as it's breaking my heart, I think I've just got to accept that I'm dead to them and move on."

The Doctor was astonished. For an eighteen-year-old, and just eighteen at that, she was remarkable sensible. She saw things in a way that most teenagers wouldn't even consider. Not for the first time he caught himself comparing her to someone he'd once known. Then he shook his head a little.

He grinned at her. "If you're sure?"

"As long as you'll have me." She told him, returning the smile.

"Forever, if you want." He told her honestly. She beamed.

"There's something I need to do first, though." She told him, her face setting grimly.

x-x

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" The Doctor asked as Evie shimmied up the drainpipe and clambered onto the roof that was directly underneath her bedroom window. The room that _had_ been her bedroom, she corrected herself sadly.

"Chill out." She told him, rolling her eyes. "I've done this a hundred times before. Besides, they can't see or hear me, can they?"

The Doctor had to admit that she was right. He, on the other hand, was conspicuous. Also, he was suspected of kidnapping and murdering Evie so maybe hanging around her home wasn't the best place for him to be at the moment.

"Just hurry up!" He hissed up at her. She pulled a face before flipping the catch on the window and slipping inside.

Carefully she jumped down onto the floor and looked around her bedroom. There was a pang in her chest as the familiarity of the room crept across her. Strangely though, it was familiar in a way that she didn't understand. It was as though she was looking at a room that she'd seen in photographs, or in a film. As if there was no connection to her.

She pulled open the drawers of the desk and rummaged through them. Luckily all her things had been left where she'd put them; evidently no one had been able to bring themselves to move anything, let alone throw anything away.

Picking up her large holdall from the corner of the room, Evie started putting things inside – makeup, clothes, jewellery, her notebooks, pens, her camera, books, DVDs and her iPod. She even managed to jam her laptop in; it was a very big holdall. Then she moved to her bedside table and carefully opened the drawer. Even though she knew no one could see or hear her, the teenager was still careful to be quiet. She put her photo album into her bag and closed the drawer again. Reaching over to get her teddy, the one she'd had since she was a baby, Evie almost screamed, dropping her bag.

Curled up together in her bed were her two younger sisters, Millie and Erin. A single tear escaped from her eyes, rolling down her cheek and, before she could stop it, landing on Erin's face. The nine-year-old blinked, her face screwing up as she gradually woke.

Evie stepped back quickly as Erin sat up._ She can't see you, she can't see you_, Evie muttered to herself. But, apparently Erin could see her.

"E-Evie?" She whispered, staring at her older sister with wide eyes. The teenager felt fresh tears springing to her eyes and her heart seemed to be shattering into a billion tiny pieces. Erin didn't look at all frightened to see her, which gave Evie some comfort at least. Before she could stop her, Erin was shaking Millie awake as well.

The middle sister blinked several times, before her eyes focused on Evie. Her mouth dropped open and she looked as though she was about to scream. Without thinking, the oldest of the three clamped her hand over Millie's mouth. Millie gasped and moved so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed beside Erin, looking directly at Evie.

"Hey, Sweeties." Evie murmured, moving to sit between her sisters. She automatically put an arm around each of them, as she always had done when they had had a nightmares in the middle of the night.

"Are you an angel?" Erin asked, reaching up to touch Evie lightly on the cheek. The teenager couldn't stop herself smiling slightly.

"No." She told her firmly.

"Don't be stupid, Erin. Evie would _never_ be an angel." Millie looked disbelieving. Her comment earned her a gentle smack from her sister.

"Have you come to visit from heaven?" Erin continued, ignoring her sister's comment. Evie was stunned that they were accepting her presence so easily. Her being here, not to mention the bag of things she had collected, was impossible.

"Not exactly." Evie said hesitantly, wondering what to tell them. She decided on the truth. Even if Erin or Millie ever told anyone, they would never be believed. "There's this man, he's called the Doctor. He travels in a blue box called the TARDIS. We travel through space and time and I've seen all sorts of places; planets and stars and galaxies. And aliens. So many aliens."

"Really?" Again Millie didn't look convinced. "So, you died and ended up in a blue box spaceship with a Doctor?"

Evie laughed. "No. I met _The_ Doctor at the Fete… you know that man they're talking about in the paper and stuff? That was him. He didn't kidnap me or anything. I chose to go with him… I didn't want to leave you, but he said I could be back before anyone even noticed I'd gone."

"He lied?"

"No, he didn't. He was as shocked as me when I found out that I was dead. Because I'm not dead… I'm very much alive." Evie assured them, squeezing both their hands tightly. Erin looked confused, not really understanding 100%. "He didn't know… he still doesn't know what's happened."

"Can we come with you?" Erin asked suddenly. "I miss you."

"I miss you too, baby." Her older sister assured her. As much as they loved their grandparents, it had always been the three of them against the world. "But Nan and Gramps already think I'm dead. If they lost you two as well… I don't know what they'd do. You need to stay here and look after them. Think you can do that?"

They nodded and allowed Evie to tuck them both back into her bed. As she kissed them on their foreheads, she tugged the rings off her fingers. She'd worn them for as long as she could remember. They were both silver; one with an emerald stone, the other with a sapphire. Evie handed one to each of her sisters.

"I love you and I'll come and see you whenever I can, alright?" She promised. "Just keep an eye out for that blue box."


	3. Who's That?

_**Comments? :)**_

"You alright?" The Doctor asked as Evie dropped to the ground beside him, a massive holdall over her shoulder. She nodded wordlessly and started walking. As the Doctor started to follow her, her glanced back up at the window and saw two small, pale faces watching them through the crack in the curtains. Unsure, he raised a hand to wave, smiling at them. The younger of the two grinned down broadly, waving back and the older put a hand on her younger sister's shoulder, smiling weakly down at the man.

"Look after her." She ordered him quietly. The Doctor nodded.

"I promise."

Evie had reached the gate which led to the lane by now and stood, waiting for him to catch up. He put an arm around her as they walked away from the farm.

"You sure you're OK?" He asked. She turned, fixing him with an unimpressed expression and raised her eyebrows.

"If you're going to keep asking me if I'm alright, I'm gonna keep hitting you. I hope you realise that?" She told him seriously. The Doctor grinned, realising that she was fine.

"We'll visit them whenever you want." He promised.

"Making promises you don't know if you can keep again?" She asked him cheekily. He squeezed her shoulders with the arm that was draped around them, happy that she was back to normal.

"Oh, shut up!"

x-x

Evie was getting annoyed. The Doctor had promised her an adventure, to make up for everything that had happened, but he was refusing to tell her where they were going. Apparently that would spoil the surprise. He had also warned her that adventures couldn't be planned – things just tended to happen to him.

She'd set up her things in the bedroom that she'd taken as her own. The Doctor had raised his eyebrows at her choice and, at first, he'd seemed a bit reluctant to let her have that particular room. He wouldn't tell her why, all he'd said was that it was the room that _she_ always slept in when she was travelling with him.

Begging and pleading and annoying and sulking hadn't worked and Evie still didn't know who _she_ was. All she knew was that it must be someone who was very special to the Doctor. The teenager was jealous about this realisation. Not because she fancied him; eurgh, the very idea of it made her feel ill. No, she was jealous because there was someone else out there who was stealing his affection, so that there was less left for her.

Sure, Evie knew about his past companions, but _she_ was different. _She_ had no name. Yet.

Rather than letting the Doctor realise that she was bothered about it, Evie plugged her headphones into her iPod and sat on the top step of the short staircase in the main room of the TARDIS flicking through the leaves of her photo album.

_I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited,__  
><em>_But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it,__  
><em>_I had hoped you'd see my face,__  
><em>_And that you'd be reminded that for me it isn't over,___

_Nevermind, I'll find someone like you,__  
><em>_I wish nothing but the best for you, too,__  
><em>_Don't forget me, I beg,__  
><em>_I remember you said,__  
><em>_"Sometimes it lasts in love,__  
><em>_But sometimes it hurts instead,"__  
><em>_Sometimes it lasts in love,__  
><em>_But sometimes it hurts instead, yeah,__  
><em>

As much as she loved Adele, listening to 'Someone Like You' or any sad song, come to that, while looking at her photo album wasn't a good idea. The teenager was in severe danger of bursting into tears. Discarding the album for a moment, she searched through the songs on her iPod, looking for something a little more upbeat.

She couldn't decide what to listen to. Every song she owned seemed to link to some kind of memory that made her sad. Some of them cheered her up for a moment, but harsh reality kicked in after a couple of minutes and Evie had to change the song again. In the end, Lily Allen's 'Littlest Things' was the song she decided she could listen to.

_The littlest things that take me there__  
><em>_I know it sounds lame but it's so true__  
><em>_I know it's not right, but it seems unfair__  
><em>_The things are reminding me of you_

_Sometimes I wish we could just pretend__  
><em>_Even if only for one weekend__  
><em>_So come on, tell me__  
><em>_Is this the end?_

"What's this?" The Doctor asked, making Evie jump. She hadn't realised that he'd come back into the room. The last time she'd seen him, he had announced he was going for a shower. The teenager took one of her earphones out so that she could hear what he was saying properly.

"Oh… just photos." Evie said with a smile, passing it to him. He flicked through, laughing at the baby photos of her and pointing out her stupid faces and hair styles.

He paused looking at one photo. Evie, probably about five, was standing grumpily in her school uniform with her arms firmly folded across her chest and a stubborn expression on her small face. The Doctor, however, wasn't looking at Evie. His gaze had been drawn to the very corner of the photo where the figure of a woman could be seen, almost as though she wasn't supposed to be there. She was looking at the camera, an enigmatic smile playing about her lips. A wild mane of curly, honey coloured hair surrounded her face. The Doctor gasped.

"What?" Evie asked, pulling the book from his hands and pulling a face. "Ohhh… yeah, first day of school. That was a pretty bad photo. I really didn't want to go."

"Who's that?" The Doctor asked, ignoring her anecdote and pointing to the woman in the corner. Evie looked closely and shrugged.

"I-I don't know." She said slowly. There was something about the woman. The teenager knew her, she knew she did. But who she was and how Evie knew her… that was the mystery. It was like the feeling that she'd had in her bedroom, and when the Doctor had read about her mother being killed in a car crash but not her father, and when she tried to remember her mother's face. She closed her eyes, straining to remember.

There was a bump and the photo album shot across the floor. The TARDIS had landed and Evie, for one, was glad to have an excuse to stop thinking for a while. The Doctor leapt to the controls as she gathered up her album and iPod, putting them safely out of the way.

"We're here!" He said brightly, apparently already having forgotten the photo. In reality the image was merely stored away for future moments of reflection.

"Where's here?" Evie asked. "Where are we?"

"Let's go and find out!" He said, holding out his hand. The teenager took it eagerly and he pulled her across the floor, flinging open the door.

Evie had to admit that she was quite disappointed by the view that met her eyes as the doors opened. She'd been expecting some kind of exotic landscape. Instead, they appeared to be in a cave. Questioningly she looked towards the Doctor, who had a puzzled look on his face. Apparently, once again, he'd set the co-ordinates wrong. He really needed to learn how to fly this thing properly.


	4. That's Why Inexperience is So Important

With a loud sigh, Evie exited the TARDIS, shooting the Doctor a despairing look and shaking her head at him. He furrowed his brow, but followed, locking the door behind him. He was obsessive over that action – worried that someone would break in while she was unattended.

"Where are we?" Evie repeated.

The Doctor looked around, thinking before he answered her question. Evie took this to mean that he didn't have a clue where they were.

"Where are we _supposed_ to be?" She asked with a sigh.

"Well… we were supposed to be going to Sto. I had a friend from there, Astrid, I think I mentioned her?" He babbled, trying to distract the teenager from the fact that he didn't actually know where they had ended up. She was staring at him with a hand on one hip, her head tilted slightly and a clearly unimpressed expression on her face.

"Right… but this isn't Sto?" Evie clarified. The Doctor shrugged. "What…?"

"The co-ordinates were right…" He muttered.

The teenager had to take several deep, steadying breaths to combat her urge to punch the Timelord in the face. Then she thought logically about the situation. She had asked the Doctor for an adventure and here it was. He'd kept his word. As this realisation hit her, Evie threw her arms around the man and hugged him tightly.

The Doctor was taken aback by her action. He'd been expecting something more negative. But he wasn't going to complain. If she was happy then he was happy. Grabbing her by the hand he pulled her along the tunnel that led from the cave they were in.

The walls were made of a strange, red stone. From the looks of them they were damp; they were glistening as the light from the Doctor's torch – where he'd produced that from Evie wasn't sure – caught them. Every now and then the beam would fall on different coloured rocks, reflecting colours back at them.

"What's Sto like then?" Evie asked. If, by some miracle the Doctor had managed to get them to the right place, she wanted to know what she was dealing with. And, if she wasn't going to get to see it, she may as well know what she was missing out on.

"It's… it's a planet in the Cassavalian Belt with a population of near-humans." He enlightened her, keeping his eyes firmly fixed ahead of them. Without realising he'd done it, he'd pushed Evie behind him, subconsciously protecting the teenager from any unseen dangers.

"What's a near-human?"

"Basically a human." He agreed with a nod. "But there are also Zocci, Cyborgs and Androids."

"Zocci?" Evie asked, raising her eyebrows. The Doctor always forgot that all this was new to her.

"Like a small, red person with spikes all over their heads. They're humanoids, but don't look much like us."

"Right…" Evie raised her eyebrows slightly at the vague explanation of the creature. The Doctor wasn't brilliant at explaining things, but that was one of his worst yet.

They'd reached the end of the passageway and light was visible in the distance. Eagerly the pair made their way towards it, wondering where they were going to end up. Blinking at the sudden change in light levels, Evie followed the Doctor outside.

Sto was similar to Earth. Amazingly similar. They walked out of the cave and onto a sort of plain. The cave tunnel led from a hill, upon which was built some kind of watch tower. Without thinking, the Doctor grabbed Evie and pulled her back out of sight into the mouth of the tunnel.

"Can't be too careful." He said as the teenager rolled her eyes again. "We don't know who's in there, or why."

"Why do you always see the worst?" She asked, leaning forwards and craning her neck to look over the edge of the cave and up at the watchtower high above them.

"Experience."

"Oh, sweetie," Evie said, shaking her head pityingly, "that's why inexperience is so important."

Before he could stop her, the teenage girl had slipped from the cave and was clambering up the almost sheer face of the hill, heading for the building at the top. The Doctor tried to grab hold of her legs, but they were just out of his reach.

"Evie!" he hissed, furious at her recklessness. She turned and winked at him, before continuing with her climb. Exhaling sharply the Doctor realised that the only thing he could do was follow her.

Luckily there were hand and foot holds so he was able to get a good grip on the rock face. The teenager had left him behind but, the Doctor was glad to notice, she had the sense to wait for him on a sheltered outcrop of rock, just hidden from view of the top. He pulled himself up beside her and raised his eyebrows. She, in turn, rolled her eyes knowing exactly what he was thinking. Not in the mood for a lecture, she turned and made to continue the climb. The Doctor grabbed the back of her checked shirt and pulled her back down.

"Wait!" He commanded, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and clamping it between his teeth, preparing to start climbing the rock once more.

"Ooh, action man." Evie muttered sarcastically, annoyed that he was treating her like a child. He turned and fixed her with a look that made the teenager pull a face, but shut her mouth, concentrating on where she was putting her hands and feet instead.

Just before the top of the cliff, the Doctor stopped. Evie didn't, smacking her head on the bottom of his foot. She glared at him, unable to rub the sore patch in case she fell. He put a finger to his lips, wobbled and replaced the hand on the rock.

Unable to see what he was looking at, all Evie could do was wait until he hoisted himself over the edge and reached down a hand to help her up. Ignoring it, she scrambled over the edge, dusting her jeans down. At her blatant refusal to be helped the Doctor smiled a little. She was determined to be independent, something that he admired. But if that independence got her into trouble… well, he'd have to make sure he was there to sort her out.

"Come on." He said in a low voice, pointing towards the watchtower. A small huddle of people was standing outside it, luckily looking in the opposite direction. Crouching so that they were less conspicuous, Evie and the Doctor moved quickly towards them, dodging behind a stack of metal crates conveniently placed a couple of feet from the entrance.

While the Doctor was watching the happenings around the entrance to the watchtower, a large square building made of glass and steel that glinted in the evening sunlight, Evie was rummaging around in the boxes they were hiding behind. She pulled a confused face as she saw what was inside.

"Doctor, what's this?" She asked, pulling a metal arm out and waving it around in the air.


	5. Spare Parts

The Doctor glanced over his shoulder towards Evie. He did a double take as he realised what she was holding. Moving so that he could look into the boxes himself, the Doctor was horrified as he realised what he was looking at. Boxes of spare parts. Spare Cyberman parts.

"Look…" Evie said giggling, her arm inside the metal one. She had figured out which wires to connect to make the fingers bend and flex. The Doctor was less than impressed. Grabbing the arm off her, he pushed it back into the box and dragged her by the arm around the corner.

"We've got to get back to the TARDIS." He said hurriedly, unwilling to put Evie in the firing line of a gang of Cybermen. She pouted, looking as though she had other ideas on the matter, but he was firm. "Listen to me, alright."

The teenager exhaled sharply with annoyance, but didn't argue. As the Doctor led her back across the ground to the cliff edge, she was internally sulking. He always did this. Every time things got interesting he parachuted her out of wherever they were. Every single bloody time. He treated her like a child and she was starting to get sick of it.

"What were those things for?" She asked, unable to stay silent any longer. "Why were there boxes of robot parts."

"They weren't just robot parts… they were spare parts for Cybermen." The Doctor told her shortly. He knew how her mind worked; the more she found out about the Cybermen, the more reluctant she would be to leave.

"Cybermen? What's a…" She trailed off.

In front of her, the Doctor had stopped abruptly, holding out his arms to shield her from view. Standing on her tiptoes, Evie leant around him to see why they had stopped. A tall, metal man was blocking their path. It was tall, towering above her, if not the Doctor. The teenager's mouth dropped open as she stared at the creature made entirely of metal.

"That's a Cyberman." The Doctor told her, without really needing to.

Despite the situation, she couldn't help herself rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I got that."

"Just checking."

"Well… do we run?" Evie asked unsure as they just stood looking at the lone Cyberman as it stood looking back at them. They were always running; it was exhausting.

"We run." The Doctor confirmed, grabbing her hand and dragging her to the left. The Cyberman turned slowly and began following them. It couldn't move very fast, but the sound it made as it moved – almost a hydraulic sound, clanking and clunking – sent shivers through Evie's bones.

They sprinted across the flat ground on top of the cliff towards a handily placed ladder, which led directly back to where they wanted to go. Evie immediately thought that this was too easy, her natural cynicism kicking in. The Doctor, however, didn't seem to be sharing her thoughts and headed for it. He went down first, leaving Evie muttering to herself, to follow him.

Half way down the ladder, both of them were suddenly aware of a loud clang on the steps below them. The Doctor glanced worriedly over his shoulder and saw that there was a Cyberman on the bottom step, stopping them reaching the bottom.

"Up!" He shouted to Evie, who didn't need telling twice.

The teenager sped up the ladder, gasping as she reached the top. The first Cyberman had finally caught up with them, trapping her and preventing them escaping.

"This is your fault." The Doctor told her childishly. Evie just rolled her eyes again.

x-x

"What do we do now?" Evie whispered, shuffling closer to the Doctor. The Cybermen had escorted them to the watchtower, where they'd been unceremoniously dumped in a cell. The Doctor hadn't said much to her on the way and Evie knew that he was sulking. "Are you ignoring me?"

"No." He said shortly pulling out the sonic screwdriver and aiming it at the lock. There was a click and the door swung open. "I'm breaking us out of here."

Carefully, taking her hand again, the Doctor led Evie along the corridor. They kept to the shadows, crouching behind whatever cover they could find. The teenage girl didn't have a clue where they were going or why and the Doctor didn't seem in any hurry to enlighten her. It was a good job she trusted him, Evie thought.

They reached a door and the Doctor tried to open it. Realising it was locked, he used the sonic again and pushed her inside. Opening her mouth to complain, thinking he was going to lock her in and go and do something exciting, Evie glared at him.

"Oh stop it." He told her with a grin. "We're in this mess now."

"So we're going to stay?" She asked, astonished.

"Until we find out what the Cybermen are doing on Sto, yes. But if you get yourself or me into any more danger…"

"You'll what?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, smirking and challenging him to complete his threat. The Doctor sighed and shook his head, knowing that she had him beaten. There was no end to that sentence.

Instead, he distracted himself by locking the door behind them and moving across the room to the desk where a computer was set up. Tapping at the keyboard he hacked into the system, trying to work out what was happening on the planet. The teenager watched him for a couple of minutes before getting bored and wandering off to rummage through yet more crates that seemed to have been abandoned in the room.

There were a couple more boxes of spare Cyberman parts; heads, arms, legs, fingers, feet. Another couple of boxes seemed to contain supplies. Puzzled, Evie pulled out a box with a picture of some kind of biscuit on the front. The writing was in a language she didn't understand but, as she stared at it, the strange squiggles seemed to rearrange themselves in front of her eyes. Shocked, Evie dropped the packet without reading it.

The rest of the boxes seemed to contain nothing more interesting. Sighing deeply Evie watched the Doctor, who was still muttering and tapping at the computer. The teenager felt totally useless. There were metal… things… out there who'd locked her in a cage without once speaking. The Doctor was doing his best to work out what was going on. She couldn't help. At all.

This was what she'd been begging the Doctor for since they'd met; an adventure. But now they were on it, Evie was starting to think that maybe she'd overestimated herself. All the others that the Doctor talked about, usually Rose or Martha or Donna, would probably have known what to do while the Doctor was working. They'd have had some idea of how to help.

As she looked around the room for something to do to make herself look useful. Her eye settled on a much smaller box that she hadn't yet opened. It was half hidden from sight, pushed behind a chair in the corner. Wondering whether that was a bad sign – something deliberately put in an unnoticeable spot screamed danger – Evie dismissed the thought and pulled the box out.

It was much more difficult to open and the teenager glanced around for something to help her open it. The Doctor had discarded his screwdriver on the desk for a moment and Evie grabbed it before he could stop her. It vibrated slightly in her hand. She'd expected it to be cold to the touch, metallic and smooth. But it wasn't; it was warm and almost soft. She couldn't explain it properly.

"Oi!" Her friend complained, realising what she'd done. Then he grinned. "You won't be able to work that." He told her superiorly. Evie narrowed her eyes, determined to prove him wrong. The truth was, though, that he was probably right. She didn't have a clue how to work the device.

Pointing it hopefully at the box, she closed her eyes, as though that would help. Almost of its own accord, her thumb moved to a slight catch and deftly flicked it to the right before pressing a raised bump. The screwdriver emitted a high-pitched whining sound and then there was a loud pop.

Opening one eye, Evie looked and was astonished to see that the lid had popped off the container in front of her. With a self-satisfied smile, she handed the screwdriver back to the Doctor, who was staring at her, slightly affronted that she'd been able to use it properly.

"Sorry." She said with a smirk, before turning back to the box to see what was inside. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open with glee. It was a relatively small but powerful looking high-tech gun. Awesome.


	6. Time to Run

_**Hello again Lovelies :) I have just two things to say to all you lovely people reading and favouriting this story… **_

_**1) THANK YOU! I appreciate it!**_

_**2) Fancy leaving a comment… it only needs to be a little one? Go on, share the love! :D**_

"Put it back." The Doctor demanded as Evie raised the gun from the crate, staring at it interestedly.

She snorted and shook her head slightly, not even glancing towards him. As if she was going to give up something as cool and useful as this gun; it might be the only useful thing she could do on this adventure. Turning it over in her hands, she was astonished at how light it was. It must have been made of some super-light metal because it was almost weightless. In the crate it had looked as though it was made of metal with glass running along the top of the barrel. As she picked it up, it responded, green lights flashing along the glass at the top.

"Wow…" She breathed, trailing her fingers along the glass. As her finger reached each individual light it went out, almost as though it was reacting to her touch. She couldn't explain why or how, but she had the strong feeling that this was her gun; she was meant to have found it.

"No." The Doctor said firmly, swivelling round on his chair and fixing her with a stern glare. "No, no, no. I don't like guns."

"Well I do." Evie told him firmly, rummaging around in the crate and pulling out a holster which she attached round her waist, slipping the gun into it and ignoring the Doctor's protests.

"You don't even know what kind of gun it is." He argued holding out his hand for it. Evie narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I'm only going to look at it. You can have it back if it really means that much to you." He said reluctantly.

Evie, also reluctantly, handed it over and stood at his shoulder as he turned it over in his hands. He scanned it with the sonic screwdriver, checking the readings on his device as he did so. As he screwed up his face, the Doctor's glasses slipped to the end of his nose. Without thinking, Evie pushed them back into place.

"It's a laser gun of some sort. It seems too advanced to be a weapon that they should have here on Sto." He told her slowly, keeping hold of it, even though Evie was holding her hand out for it. "Long battery life, unlimited shots until the battery dies."

"How do you charge it?" Evie asked innocently. The Doctor wasn't fooled.

"Solar." He admitted, shooting her a look. "Evie… I'd really rather you didn't carry a gun. I don't agree with them. I prefer to sort things out without any killing; if I can."

"Fine." The teenager told him with a shrug. "We'll do things your way… until something goes wrong and then I'll step in and save your skinny ass with my shiny new gun."

She smirked and grabbed it out of his hands. Once again she immediately felt a connection with the weapon. It was strange, but Evie was sure that she would instinctively know how to use it when the time came.

Making a loud sound of irritation, the Doctor returned his attention to the computer, knowing that he wasn't going to win that argument. At least if Evie had the gun she could protect herself if she needed to. Although he really wasn't happy about it. There was only one other person who he tolerated using a gun… and that was only because she ignored his pleas for her not to. And he had to admit that he quite liked watching her using it.

While he continued to work on the software in front of him, yet more advanced technology that technically shouldn't be here, Evie was playing with the gun. She pulled it out of the holster and aimed it at invisible aliens, pretending to fire. Then she spun it on her finger and put it back in its holder. The Doctor sighed with irritation again.

x-x

"Right…" He said at last, catching Evie's attention immediately. She put the gun, which she had been polishing lovingly, back in the holster fixed around her waist and hopped over to him. Leaning against his shoulder, the teenager gazed over his shoulder at the computer screen.

The Doctor had pulled up some sort of map. Two pulsing red lights seemed to mark their position in the building on the screen. The teenage girl didn't have much of a clue what they were really looking at, but the Doctor was looking serious and wearing his clever-glasses. Obviously he was about to inform her of some very important information.

"So… you gonna fill me in?" She asked seeing as he didn't seem to have any intention of doing so.

"Oh. Yes." He jumped slightly, obviously completely immersed in what he was doing. "Well we're definitely on Sto. This is some kind of defence base. We're here…" he told her, pointing at the red dots. "It looks like we're in a storage section of the building, look here and here… But further along the corridor… there seems to be some kind of upgrade room."

"Upgrade room?" Evie asked, confused.

"From other life forms to Cybermen." He told her simply. Evie looked at him in horror.

"Upgrade?" The teenager's eyes had widened and, without realising it, her hand had moved to clutch her gun comfortingly.

"Mmmm-hmmm…" The Doctor said meaningfully, raising his eyebrows at her. Evie gulped. "Don't worry… I'm not intending for either of us to be upgraded." He said seriously, taking off his glasses, folding them and tucking them into the top pocket of his jacket.

"Great, 'cos I thought that would be the first thing on our itinerary." Evie replied sarcastically.

"You need to work on that sarcasm thing you've got going on." He said picking up the sonic screwdriver and moving over to the door. "I've never known anyone quite like you."

That wasn't strictly true, but Evie didn't need any role models that would increase her attitude; she had enough of it as it was. Peering through the slit of a window in the door, the Doctor soniced it open and led the way cautiously along the corridor. He knew that the teenager had the gun clutched tightly in her hands but restrained himself from saying anything. The more opposition he put up against the weapon, the more she would want to use it.

"Do you actually know where we're going?" Evie asked after they'd been walking for a few minutes. They had passed several doors and the Doctor had peered carefully into each, looking for the 'Upgrade' room. So far they'd only come across more storage. It was odd… there was so much stuff here, almost as though they were preparing themselves for something.

"I think a couple more doors this way…" The Doctor said screwing up his face to try and work out whereabouts they were. Evie rolled her eyes, glancing around too. She was starting to get an uneasy sensation, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.

Before she could tell the Doctor, the unmistakable hydraulic clunking started from somewhere further along the corridor and the pair stared at each other.

"Time to run?" Evie asked.

The Doctor nodded wordlessly and the pair moved quickly, sprinting along the corridor without looking back. They reached the end. The door was locked by some sort of key pad. Frantically, the Doctor held the sonic screwdriver up to it, trying to break the code.

"Hurry up!" The teenager urged. She could see the Cybermen approaching; three of them.

"What d'you think I'm doing?" Her companion snapped back. "Making a cup of tea?"

"Now who needs to work on their sarcasm?" Evie asked cheekily. The Doctor made a hissing sound, but didn't reply. Evie didn't care; she too was distracted by the oncoming enemy. They moved more quickly than she had expected. "Doctor… we really need to move."

The three Cybermen stopped, several feet away. They seemed to be considering the pair. Evie couldn't tear her gaze away, but the Doctor was still focused on the key pad, muttering to himself. Why was this taking so long? The teenager shivered, her grip tightening on the gun at her side.

After a few tense moments, the Cyberman at the front of the group raised its right hand, pointing directly at Evie and the Doctor. The two behind followed suit.

"You are not compatible and will be deleted." The first said in a metallic monotone. Evie gulped.


	7. I Don't Even Know What Facetious Means

"You are not compatible and will be deleted." The first said in a metallic monotone. Evie gulped.

"Doctor…" She hissed as the Cyberman took a step towards them. "Do something!"

"I'm a little busy." He said his voice cracking with emotion, showing how worried he was.

"Delete… delete…" The Cybermen were chanting.

Without thinking about what she was doing, Evie whipped the gun from the holster and pointed it at the nearest metal man. She pulled the trigger and a jet of green light shot from the gun, hitting its target square in the chest. Quickly, she aimed and fired at the other two, or where she thought they were, her heart thudding in her chest.

Evie hadn't realised that her eyes had been closed during the split second where she'd decided what to do and taken action. Opening one eyelid, she looked nervously in front of her. To her surprise and delight she had hit all three of her targets. The Cybermen lay in a heap on the ground.

"Now who needs protecting?" She asked the Doctor smugly, taking a step towards the pile of metal in front of her.

The Doctor grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her back and moving in front of her. Scanning the Cybermen quickly with the sonic screwdriver, his face was blank. He didn't answer, just keep scanning them.

The teenager was annoyed. She'd just saved them from deletion, which didn't sound particularly pleasant, and here he was angry with her for it. Putting the gun back in its holster at her waist, she crossed her arms, scowling.

"If you want me to just let you die next time say so and I won't waste my energy." She snapped.

When the Doctor still didn't react, Evie felt a wave of uncertainty rush over her. Like when you were so sure of something, which turned out to be completely wrong. The Doctor straightened up and returned to working on the key pad, still not speaking or even looking at her. OK, so he didn't like guns, but surely he hadn't left her with much of a choice.

Feeling a mixture of insecurity, frustration and despondency at the Doctor apparently distancing himself from her, Evie bent down to take a closer look at the Cybermen lying on the ground at her feet. Their heads were round, or as close to round as a head could be, coming to almost a point in the middle. Pipes connected this middle point to where the ears should be, boxing the head in. Their eyes were just black circles, with a tear drop shape in one corner. They had a slit of a mouth, also black.

Evie stared into the eyes, shuddering slightly. The tear drops freaked her out. How could something with tears in its eyes be… well… like that... talk about deleting people who weren't compatible. What did that mean, anyway? '_You are not compatible and will be deleted._' Why weren't they compatible… no one had even asked her any questions.

"OK, OK…" She muttered, having enough of the Doctor's silent treatment. "I'm sorry for shooting them, but I didn't want to be deleted. I've already died once today, surely that's enough for anyone. I won't use my gun again unless you say it's alright."

"Don't be facetious." The Doctor muttered, making Evie grin. At least he was talking to her again.

"I don't even know what facetious means." She told him smirking.

"Flippant, silly, foolish, inappropriate, inane, frivolous." He rattled off synonyms for the word without looking at her. Evie rolled her eyes.

"Thanks for the dictionary lesson." She joked, leaning casually against the wall beside where he was working. "Now… aren't you going to thank me for saving your ass?" The Doctor just raised his eyebrows, so Evie changed tack quickly, not wanting him to go silent on her again. "Why were they saying we weren't compatible? What does that mean?"

"We aren't compatible with their idea of the perfect species." He told her quickly. "All species need to be upgraded in the Cymbermen's perfect world. We were probably being held ready for upgrading, but we escaped, making us incompatible."

Evie nodded, taking in the information he was giving her slowly. Once again she was feeling out of her depth. She suddenly realised that the Doctor hadn't really told her what they were doing here, or why. Surely a load of Cybermen, who didn't particularly seem to be doing much except trying to delete her, weren't enough to bother him. It wasn't as though they were trying to take over the universe or anything. Were they?

"Doctor…" She wasn't entirely sure how to phrase her next question without annoying him. He already seemed irritated by her and Evie knew that was her own fault. The teenager was suddenly shy of the man who had barely looked at her for about ten minutes. When they'd started out on this adventure she'd looked up to him, almost like a big brother or a father figure. She'd thought that the feeling was mutual. Now she realised she hardly knew him. At all.

"Mmm?" He turned and looked straight into her eyes, as though he could hear how she was feeling in her voice.

"What are we doing, exactly?"

"That, Evie Jones, is the killer question."


	8. You Do Things Your Way I'll Do Them Mine

_**I do rather like comments… If you've got a minute? :)**_

They'd finally made it through the door that was locked by the key pad. The Doctor wasn't sure why it had taken him so long; the sonic screwdriver could usually handle something like that in minutes. Rather than worrying too much about it, they'd concentrated on moving the lifeless Cybermen out of sight.

Together Evie and the Doctor headed down the corridor, checking each of the rooms in turn. Several contained disgusting remnants that the Doctor said were unsuccessful upgrades; bloody masses lying on the floor, trails of blood across the tiles and spare parts. The sight of them made Evie's stomach turn over, but she said nothing.

The Doctor liked travelling with human companions, mainly because they helped him keep his human side functioning. They brought compassion to the forefront of his mind. But Evie was different. There was something strange about the teenager that the Doctor couldn't put his finger on. She'd been so calm after she'd realised the implications of her being dead to her family.

She was obviously capable of massive emotional outbursts; he'd seen her break down only that morning and more than once he'd seen her furiously shouting at some poor individual who happened to get on the wrong side of her. And yet, at the same time, Evie seemed so closed off.

He watched the teenager as they made their way through the building. The more disgusting the sights became, the more curious the Doctor was about her reactions. She hardly flinched. She was almost cold.

"Evie…" he said at last, looking at her hard. She smiled at him, turning away from the metal table she'd been staring at for a couple of moments without moving. There was still a smear of blood on it. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She said lightly, walking past him and back into the corridor. "Better than those poor people, anyway."

At her flippant remark, the Doctor frowned slightly. Then he relaxed his brow, realising that the comment was just Evie all over; she had real trouble being serious. Deciding that he was worrying too much, the Doctor followed her along the corridor.

"Hey!"

The pair looked at each other questioningly. Neither of them had spoken, so where had the voice come from? Looking around in confusion, trying to work out which direction the sound had travelled, they strained their ears to hear the sound again. After a couple of seconds it came again.

"Hey!"

"That way." Evie said, pointing further along the corridor. Running, they went the direction she'd pointed, finding themselves outside a large door, exactly like the one they'd been shut behind. Another cage of people waiting to be upgraded. There was nothing they could do for those who'd already been done, but these people they could help.

As the Doctor did his thing with the sonic screwdriver, Evie glanced around worriedly. Since the three Cybermen she'd already taken out, they hadn't seen anymore. Surely there'd be a guard around their prisoners.

No sooner had the thought entered her mind than she spotted one of the metal creatures rounding the corner behind the Doctor and heading for them. Without thinking, she pushed the Doctor out of the way, pulled out her gun, closed one eye and aimed. Once more the green burst of light hit the target and the Cyberman slumped to the ground.

"Sorry, sorry…" She muttered, seeing the look in the Doctor's eyes. "It was instinctive."

"At least we won't be disturbed for a while." He muttered grudgingly. "Go and hide it somewhere."

Evie looked at him outraged. "Hide it? Do you not remember how heavy they are?"

"Try…"

She exhaled sharply, knowing that this was her punishment for shooting it. At least he was still talking to her this time. The Doctor watched as she wandered nonchalantly along the corridor. Either she wasn't fazed at all by the situation or she was doing a very good impression of it. Again he found himself wondering about her; Evie Jones… the teenager was a riddle.

The cage door clicked open and the Doctor stuck his head inside the cell, smiling broadly at the occupants. Three men and two women were inside, varying in age from about Evie's age to quite an old man who was squinting at him through thick glasses.

"Alright?" He asked causally. "I'm the Doctor… I've come to rescue you."

The five people staring back at him hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to trust him. Evidently that idea was more appealing than facing the Cybermen because after a moment or two they all started talking at once, clamouring for his attention. The Doctor held up his hands, signalling for them to speak one at a time.

"I'm Makenzie Pleen." The old man said croakily. "This is my daughter, Reenie, her husband Neale and their children Phoebe and Max."

"Nice to meet you. I'm the Doctor. Already said that…" He added, talking to himself. "Introductions over, let's get out of here."

He poked his head back out into the corridor glancing up and down it. His eyes settled on Evie's guilty face and he groaned. Cybermen littered the stretch of hallway, slumped against the walls and in small heaps.

"I cannot leave you alone for two minutes." He scolded her as the small party reached her side.

"You do things your way and I'll do them mine." She told him shrugging slightly. She wasn't the least bit remorseful for killing the metal monsters – in fact she was rather proud of herself for taking them all down single handed; especially with the red laser beams which they started shooting from their arms as they realised what was going on.

"Evie…" The Doctor looked as though he was about to say something but then changed his mind, instead introducing her to the family group he'd liberated from the cell. His face clouded slightly as he noticed a smirk creeping across Evie's face as she set eyes on Max. The man also didn't like the look in the young boy's eyes as he looked the girl up and down.

"I don't mean to tell you what to do…" Neale said worriedly, glancing over his shoulder. "But don't you think we should keep moving?" He had one arm around his wife and another around his daughter.

"Yes. Yes!" The Doctor said, pulling himself together. "This way."


	9. Ancient, Annoying and Totally Brilliant

The Doctor led them through doors and along corridors and up and down stairs until Evie wondered whether he actually knew where they were going at all. She kept sending Max looks underneath her fringe, wondering… wondering lots of things. How old he was, what it was like to live on another planet and what he was like, for starters.

They finally arrived at their destination the Doctor let them into some kind of office. There were yet more high-tech computer systems and gadgets lying around. He soniced the door closed behind them and started rummaging around.

Makenzie sat down heavily in a chair, breathing deeply. Evie watched him curiously – he had to be at least 70, maybe even older. She was impressed with his stamina. The Doctor had led them on a proper route-march to get here. Her attention turned to the other members of the family. Reenie and Neale were standing together a little way off, worriedly glancing between the Doctor and the window, out of which they could see for miles. The ground was so flat, with the exception of this hill. There didn't seem to be anything out there for a long, long way. Phoebe, who was maybe in her mid-twenties, was crouching beside her grandfather, making sure he was alright.

"So… Evie." Max said close behind her, making the teenager jump. She whirled around and found herself looking directly into his eyes, which were a curious violet colour. "Who exactly are you and… him." He turned and pointed to the Doctor who was shaking a lump of metal beside his ear, his face screwed up as he listened intently.

Shaking her head slightly at his madness, she turned back to the boy, putting her head on one side as she considered what to tell him. He was cute; very cute. With spiky dirty blonde hair, the beautiful violet eyes and a good, athletic build.

"I'm Evie Jones, orphan, eighteen." She said simply. "And he is the Doctor. Ancient, annoying and totally brilliant."

"I'm Max… obviously. Max Bale. I'm nineteen." He said quickly, as though he was nervous of her. Evie didn't blame him. The first time he'd seen her she'd been casually blasting the hell out of Cybermen. "The Doctor? What kind of name is that?"

Evie shrugged. "That's just his name. Just the Doctor."

"Oh… you and him?" Max asked looking as though he was trying not to intrude.

"Me and… oh! No!" Evie looked disgusted at the idea that there was anything between her and the Doctor. "No… there is NOTHING between me and him. Never."

Max looked pleased as the Doctor glanced up from the computer screen in front of him, beckoning her over. Smirking slightly, feeling important in front of the others, Evie immediately went to his side. He pointed out their new location on the system map and the teenager nodded, listening carefully as he explained where they were. It was the main control room, apparently.

"Why is it empty then?" She asked. "Surely they wouldn't just leave their most important room unguarded, like their prison." The Doctor shrugged; obviously he had no answers to her question.

"Look… these dots show all the life forms in the building; red for human, blue for Cybermen." The Doctor explained jabbing his finger towards the screen. Evie nodded, quickly counting the red dots. There were only six. She looked suspiciously at the Doctor, instinctively knowing that it was him that was missing from the screen. He glanced back at her quickly, reading her mind. A slight smirk played about his lips but he didn't say anything.

Phoebe screamed, making both of them jump and snap their eyes to her, wondering what was wrong. Her eyes were fixed on the door, through which everyone could clearly see the group of Cybermen marching towards them.

Before anyone could move, and the Doctor could stop her, Evie had grabbed the sonic screwdriver and sprinted to the door, unlocking it.

"I've got this!" She called over her shoulder, slipping through and locking it from the outside. She pushed the screwdriver into the back pocket of her skinny jeans and started shooting at the oncoming Cybermen. She knew she was either being brave or incredibly stupid, but she didn't care. Her initial fear of the metal men had dissolved and now all she felt was adrenaline running through her veins. Evie thought she was invincible. She was also showing off in front of Max and the others.

Dodging their laser beams by ducking around the corner as she saw one heading towards her, Evie ignored the Doctor's infuriated hammering on the door. Sure, he was angry with her now, but he'd soon get over it. Besides, she had this covered.

Each of her shots hit its target and soon the number of Cybermen coming for her was dwindling, the number lying in piles on the ground growing. Smirking to herself as she took out the last two with well-aimed shots, Evie turned to the door with her hands on her hips. Cockily she winked at the Doctor.

That was the last thing she remembered because a large, hard, metal hand connected with the back of her head and everything went black.

x-x

"I've got this!" Evie had shouted as she'd left the room, taking the Doctor's beloved sonic screwdriver with her and locking them in from the outside. He sprinted to the door, hammering his balled fists against it and shouting at the teenager to open the door right that instant. She either couldn't hear him or was choosing to ignore him.

The Doctor couldn't deny that she had immense skill with the gun. Almost effortlessly she was aiming and firing, ducking and diving round the corner to avoid being hit by the laser beams the Cybermen were sending her way. He hated to admit it, but he was incredibly impressed. But still angry; very, _very_ angry.

"I'm going to kill her when she gets back in here." He muttered as she took out the final Cybermen. Turning to face them, hands on her hip and her annoying superior smirk plastered over her pretty features, Evie winked, reaching round to pull the sonic screwdriver out of her back pocket.

Too late the Doctor noticed a towering figure behind the girl. Where it had come from and how neither he nor she had noticed it before, he didn't know. All he could do was hit the door with the palm of his hand as the Cyberman brought its own metal hand crashing down on Evie and the teenager crumbled, hitting the floor almost in slow motion.

Scooping her into its arms, the lone Cyberman turned and carried her away down the corridor. The sonic screwdriver rolled out of her hand, coming to rest just in front of the door, teasing the Doctor who stared through the glass at it.

"Max!" He shouted jumping to action before the figures had even vanished from sight. "Watch those dots on the screen. I want to know where they're going."

The boy leapt to the monitor, watching it closely as the Doctor paced around the room looking for something to break through the glass. Picking up a chair, he carried it to the door and brought it crashing into the window. His face contorting with pain, the Doctor stumbled backwards as it just bounced off the glass without doing any damage at all.

"OK… Not going to work." He glanced around for something else to try and his eyes settled on the large lump of metal he'd been playing with earlier. Dalekanium; if he wasn't very much mistaken. But what a lump of the material used to make the casing of the Daleks was doing here, he had no idea. Grabbing the dense metal tightly, he threw it at the glass with all his might. There was a loud crash and the glass shattered. Kicking the shards out of the way, the Doctor was able to reach through and grab his screwdriver. Giving it a quick kiss and a polish on his jacket, he unlocked the door. "Right, Max. What's happening with the dots?" He asked urgently. 


	10. With a Pizza Cutter?

"There are only five blue dots left." Max said quickly, pointing them out to the strange man who had practically skipped to his side and was leaning over him to see the screen as well. He was wearing glasses, which made him look far more intelligent. "Four here… and one with a red dot there…"

"What's the betting that they're heading for that room?" The Doctor asked, prodding the cluster of blue dots agitatedly. The boy nodded, unsure what the Doctor wanted him to do. "I'm really going to kill Evie when we see her."

He led the way in the direction that the map had indicated. The party behind him stepped over the lifeless metal bodies with mixed expressions on their faces. Max looked impressed; there were too many Cybermen to count. The Doctor was impressed as well; something that Evie would never find out. The other four looked mildly terrified. They hadn't spoken since they'd arrived in the room. During the shooting Phoebe had hidden her face in her grandfather's chest and Neale and Reenie had clung onto each other for dear life. The Doctor secretly thought they were boring. Max, on the other hand, was alright.

"Doctor…" He said, jogging to catch up with the fast pace of the tall man. "Why were they… the Cybermen… here in the first place? Why did they take us?"

With a sigh, the Doctor considered him, knowing that his words were going to seem heartless. "The usual story – they needed more soldiers. Find a planet that you can use to create more Cybermen and take what you need."

The boy's face went slightly paler, but then he pulled himself together, glancing over his shoulder. "Maybe you shouldn't tell them that."

"Maybe you're right." The Doctor agreed, watching the four behind them with a sigh. He watched them for a couple of seconds, thinking about their bond. Then he pulled himself together. "Right… this way?"

x-x

Evie was slowly coming round. She felt as though someone had pushed a spike into her brain. Pain was throbbing around her temples and her eyes. She had to squint to see what was going on around her. Four… no, five… Cybermen were positioned around the metal table that she had been strapped to. What was it with her and being strapped to metal tables?

"You will be upgraded." The closest Cyberman said, some kind of implement in his hand that looked horribly like a pizza cutter to the teenager.

"Woah! Don't you dare come anywhere near me with that thing!" Evie protested, raising her head as high as she could, which wasn't particularly far seeing as her shoulders were strapped down.

"Are you refusing an upgrade?" The Cyberman clarified, tilting its head slightly. Evie shuddered. Then she remembered what the Doctor had said about being incompatible and being deleted.

"No…" The teenager said slowly. The Cyberman advanced slightly and she jumped. "Woah! Woah, wait a second." It paused, tilting its head again. "Supposing I agree to be upgraded. What happens then? Why are you upgrading people?"

"We need soldiers." The Cyberman said simply. "After the last battle our army was depleted. Now we will need more."

Evie felt slightly guilty. She'd practically wiped out their new army which meant that they'd be after more soldiers. That had backfired spectacularly. No wonder the Doctor had been so against her shooting them all. She groaned inwardly; he was going to kill her. Desperate, Evie tried to think of other questions to ask the Cyberman to prevent the inevitable.

"How does this work?" She asked quickly as he walked towards her again.

"Your brain is transplanted into a Cyberman body."

"With a pizza cutter?" She asked, unable to hide the sarcasm from her voice. The Cyberman looked confused. While it was trying to decipher the meaning behind her words, the door crashed open, revealing the Doctor and Max, wide-eyed and worried. "Better late than never, I suppose."

"You can just be quiet." The Doctor said annoyed, pointing the sonic screwdriver at her so that the restraints were released and Evie was able to jump off the table. "You're in big trouble, young lady." The teenager rolled her eyes and removed her gun from its holster. Rather than shooting discriminately, Evie's eyes flicked to the Doctor, to gage his reaction. Her head was still pounding and she'd learnt her lesson about being impulsive; for now, anyway.

"Now…" The Doctor said, turning to the Cybermen. "What's been happening here?"

They all turned to the Doctor. "They had some kind of war and lost all their soldiers, so they needed new ones." Evie informed him.

"Oh… Well… that's a shame." He said loudly, turning his back on the metal men, looking meaningfully at Evie and signalling for Max and his family to leave. Not needing to be told twice, Max's family disappeared from the room leaving the two teenagers and the Doctor with the Cybermen. "Now. I'm giving you a choice. Either you leave this planet and go back where you came from without stopping off to make any more soldiers or I'll let my friend here lose with her gun. You've seen what she can do."

Evie beamed, raising the gun and aiming it threateningly at the nearest Cyberman. There was a long pause. The Cybermen seemed to be considering their options. Tapping his foot, the Doctor waiting impatiently, hoping they would choose the first option. He really hated guns.

"You are incompatible." The Cyberman said at last. "You will be deleted."

"OUT!" Evie shouted starting to fire even before it had finished speaking. The Doctor pushed Max out in front of him, turning to see what was happening. He didn't feel like he should leave Evie, but in the seconds his back had been turned three of the Cyberman had already fallen to the ground.

There was a flash of red light right beside his head and he dived through the door, pulling it closed and pressing his face against it, holding his breath and watching Evie closely. Only one Cyberman was left now, the one who'd done the talking and the one who had brought the teenager here in the first place.

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this." Evie told it, through gritted teeth. It sent a laser beam at her head, forcing her to jump sideways, behind a metal sheet. Leaning out from behind it, she sent a shot wildly at it, missing and hitting a circuit board instead, making sparks fly everywhere. Another beam came for her, forcing Evie out into the open. Her next shot went wide as well, as she fell heavily into a desk, avoiding a third beam. Her shot hit a monitor, which promptly burst into flames.

"Come on…" The Doctor muttered worriedly, watching the fire spread quickly through the electrical appliances in the room.

Evie was beginning to tire; her head was pounding and when she'd fallen she'd put her hand down on the pizza cutter, slicing through her palm. Maybe this helped her achieve the last bit of aggression she needed at her next shot found its mark, hitting the Cyberman squarely in the face.

Watching, with a satisfied smirk on her face Evie stepped towards the last Cyberman lying motionless on the ground. As she stepped over it, there was a sudden movement and the creature tried to grab her by the leg. Moving quickly, the teenager dodged its grasp and sent a final shot at the metal man.

"How'd you like me now, bitch?" She said smirking and twirling her gun around her finger before returning it to the holster.


	11. Ask Me No Questions

"You're still in big trouble." The Doctor told Evie as the seven of them headed out of the building. She sighed and pulled a face, knowing that the Doctor was right to be angry at her. She'd just got a bit overexcited and carried away. "What you did was so stupid and reckless."

"He talks to you like my parents talk to me." Max whispered as the pair of them dropped back behind the rest. The Doctor was leading the way, oblivious to the two of them lagging further and further behind.

"No he doesn't." Evie said defensively.

"He really does." The boy answered grinning and raising his eyebrows at her. "Don't your parents ever talk to you like that?"

The teenage girl winced at the words. "My parents are dead."

"Oh… yeah… I'm sorry. I forgot." His hand found her arm, squeezing it tightly. She stopped walking and looked at him.

Max was taken aback at how vulnerable she looked. When he'd first laid eyes on her, she'd been looking sheepish with the gun in her hand and dead Cybermen lying at her feet. But her eyes had been twinkling mischievously and there had been the shadow of a smirk on her lips. That same smirk had been present almost constantly throughout the two or so hours that he'd known her; even when she'd been strapped to that metal table. But now it had vanished completely. Her eyes looked empty and dull. And devastated.

"I… I can't remember them. At all." She whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. "They only died five years ago, but I can't picture their faces at all."

Max chewed his lip, wondering what he was supposed to say. He had no experience of what she was talking about. If anything he sometimes wished he _could_ forget his parents, they were always there – even when he wished they weren't.

"But it's getting worse… there are photos of people in my photo album that I can't even remember. I have no idea who they are. I think the Doctor was worried when he realised that I couldn't remember things…" She carried on. Her eyes were filling with tears and her head was hurting even more as she struggled to remember things that were disappearing from her memory.

Holding out his arms, Max hugged her tightly, stroking her hair lightly with his fingers. She breathed deeply, squeezing her eyes shut to stop any tears escaping. Evie Jones didn't ever cry and she wasn't about to start now. Feeling herself calming down, she took one last deep breath and stepped backwards, away from the teenage boy.

Max seemed reluctant to let go of her, keeping his arms around her waist. Evie Jones was in his head, under his skin, stalking his thoughts. There was something about her… he couldn't put his finger on what it was, but it was definitely there – pulling him in. Pushing him under. Drowning him. She was magnetic.

She glanced up at him, her eyes wide, wondering why they were still attached. Their eyes met for a moment or two, before Max bent down and planted a soft kiss on her lips. Evie was taken aback for a minute. Then she threw her arms around his neck, kissing him back. She'd never felt wanted before. Her heart bounced slightly as she realised that Max obviously wanted her.

She giggled as his hand moved to the base of her back and arched against him, running her fingers through his hair. All the time she was thinking that this couldn't, wouldn't, shouldn't last. They'd met less than half a day ago and, within a short space of time, she'd leave him behind. There was no question; she'd follow the Doctor wherever he led her.

"Evie!" The Doctor shouted from somewhere ahead of them. The teenagers jumped apart hastily, Evie pulling her shirt back into its original position. The man rounded the corner, shot them a suspicious look and beckoned to her.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the boy as Evie moved to his side and he clamped his arm round her shoulders protectively. He had a good idea what had just been going on and, although he knew that his view of the situation was probably the opposite of what had _actually_ happened, he blamed the boy completely. It was his job to protect Evie; from attack, from aliens and DEFINITELY from teenage boys. Whether she needed it or, much more likely, not.

With a smirk and a cheeky wink back at Max, the girl walked away with the Timelord, her Doctor, leaving the boy to jog to catch up with them. He turned as they reached the corner and raised his eyebrows at Max who was watching them, slightly stunned.

"Come on then, Bale, keep up!"

x-x

Back on the TARDIS a bit later on, the Doctor was watching Evie who was staring blankly at her photo album. She seemed to be straining her eyes at it, her brain working overtime as she looked closely at the pictures. He was worried about her; she'd hardly said anything since they'd dropped their new acquaintances off at their home and headed off again in the blue box.

"So… Max?" He asked, raising his eyebrows and grinning at her. Evie shot him a look back which clearly said she didn't want to talk about it; not with him, anyway. He noticed that she still had the gun in its holster firmly around her waist. The Doctor wasn't happy about that, but she had shown that she could use it. And she could use it well.

"Doctor…" She said suddenly, bringing his attention away from the screen in front of him. "You know that photo… the one that you asked me about the woman in it?" He nodded, almost reluctantly, knowing where this was leading. "Did you know her?"

Hesitating, the Doctor wondered whether to tell her the truth. "Yes."

"How?"

He gave a cynical laugh and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the console so that most of his weight was on one leg and the other was bent, resting on the underside of the device. "Now that's a question."

"What does that mean?"

"Ask me no questions…" The Doctor said cryptically, turning back to the controls, as Evie narrowed her eyes at him. She thought she'd seen briefly something passing through them; sadness and longing. He began pressing buttons and pulling levers, typing something into the computer. "Listen, even though you're in trouble still, how'd you like to go and visit your sisters?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"I saw them two days ago." She said, confused.

"Yes… but to them that could be two months. We just need to set the co-ordinates."

She grinned, before smiling more softly with genuine gratitude. "Thank you."


	12. There's Just One Thing I Want to Know

The TARDIS touched down in the field behind her Grandparents' farm a couple of hours later. Evie practically sprang out of the doors, waiting impatiently for the Doctor to lock up before they headed up the lane to the house.

He was happy to see her back to her cheerful self. He'd even persuaded her to leave her gun in her bedroom. Even the Doctor had started referring to it as 'her' gun now, much to his annoyance. Evie slipped her hand into the Doctor's as they made their way along the mud track. He squeezed it tightly.

The teenager stopped as they reached the gate. There was a young woman, perhaps in her mid-twenties, standing in the yard, pegging sheets to the washing line. Evie's mouth dropped open at the sight.

The woman glanced over at her. She froze; the basket of washing falling from her hands, as though it was falling in slow motion. Her chocolate-brown hair was tied up in a messy bun, with curls escaping around her face. With the back of her hand, she pushed the curls out of her eyes and took a few, unsteady steps towards the pair at the gate.

"Evie…" She murmured. Her older sister dropped the Doctor's hand and ran through the yard. She launched herself and the woman, hugging her tightly.

"Erin!" The teenager giggled, looking her up and down, "You grew up gorgeous!"

The young woman looked at her strangely, smiling but also looking confused. "What are you talking about? We saw you three weeks ago!" Then she looked closer, her mouth dropping open once more as she realised how young her sister looked. "But… you're… how old are you?"

"Eighteen. I saw you two days ago and you were only nine." Evie said, shaking her head. "Mr Idiot over there was supposed to bring me back two months after we left, not two decades. How old are you, by the way?"

"Twenty-six." Erin answered with a grin. Then she turned back to the Doctor who was lingering by the gate. "You never seem to manage to come back in the right order, do you? Oi, Doctor, get over here and give me a hug."

Confused, the Doctor did as he was told. Erin hugged him tightly before holding him at arm's length and scrutinising him closely.

"I still prefer your hair like this." She said, tilting her head to the side. "It suits you better than all floppy. And whatever you say, I'll never agree that top hats are cool. Ever." Erin looked past them eagerly but, when she realised that it was just the two of them visiting her face fell slightly. "Just you two this time then?"

The Doctor nodded but then looked mystified and shot Evie a shrug when her sister had her back turned. The woman led them into the kitchen and opened the dresser drawer, pulling out a thick notebook. She started writing in it, glancing up at them every couple of seconds to scrutinise the pair sitting awkwardly in front of her.

"How old are you again?" She asked.

"Eighteen." Her sister repeated. "What are you writing?"

"Oh… Millie and I write down when we see you, how old you are and other important stuff; just so that we can remember and work out where you are. You told me to do it, Evie, the second time we saw you after you left. Then the Doctor explained to us a long time ago that your timelines don't run in parallel with ours. I gotta admit that the first few times we saw you it was really confusing. I mean, you turned up on my tenth birthday, that was the first time we saw you again, and you'd aged –" The Doctor cut her off quickly, by making a sound in his throat, and she grinned. "Sorry… I forgot about not giving spoilers. It's hard not being able to tell you anything about when you came or who was with y–" She stopped abruptly again, catching the Doctor's eye.

Evie hadn't really been listening; neither did she catch the Doctor's strange look at her sister's words. She was looking around the kitchen curiously. If Erin was twenty-six, she would have been thirty-five. But she wasn't, it was all wrong.

"Where's Millie?" She asked suddenly.

"Picking up the kids. She's just left so she'll be about half an hour." Erin said causally, turning to fill the kettle at the sink. With a jolt Evie realised that it was the same kettle that she remembered. Putting the kettle on the hob, the woman smiled at her sister. "Course, you won't know about the kids. Millie's daughters, Evie and Angie; they're seven and five."

The teenager thought her head was about to explode. "Evie…" she murmured. "Why Angie?"

"After… mum?" Erin said in a strange voice. Her face wore a strange expression, as though she was hiding something. Then she looked hard at her sister, furrowing her eyebrows as though she didn't understand why Evie had asked that question.

Her sister felt physically sick… she'd forgotten her mother's name. There and then she decided that it was time to leave.

"Do you have any photos of mum?" Evie asked standing up and hugging herself reassuringly. Erin shook her head. Then Evie had a brainwave. She'd put the photo the Doctor had commented on in her pocket and pulled it out now, showing it to her sister; her finger on the curly haired woman in the corner. "D'you know who that is?"

Erin took the photo in her hand and looked at it closely. For a second, there was a flicker of something in her eyes but then it was gone and she shook her head. "I was only four when mum died… it could be her, I mean, she looks a bit like you… but I can't say for certain. I don't really remember mum. Surely you do?"

"No…" Evie murmured sadly, taking the photo back and putting it away.

"Millie would remember… wait and ask her."

"No." Her sister said quickly. "We need to go." She hugged Erin tightly, noticing that she was still wearing the ring she'd given her the night she'd left. Smiling slightly, she broke away, heading for the door. "Give Millie and the kids a hug from me… if they know who I am."

"Course they do!" Erin laughed. "They adore their Auntie Evie."

The woman stood in the doorway of the farm, waving as the Doctor and Evie walked towards he TARDIS. The Doctor slipped his arm around Evie's shoulders casually once more, but the look in his eyes was concerned.

"There's just one thing I want to know…" He said looking at her hand intently. "Didn't you slice your hand open when you were being all heroic?"

"Oh yeah… on the pizza cutter…" Evie said, remembering feeling slightly lightheaded as the blood had started spurting from her hand. She lifted it up, examining it. Then she raised the other hand, looking intently at that one as well. Neither had so much as a scratch on them. "That's weird…"

"You alright?" He asked, noticing the muddled look on her face.

"Yep. It's just, strange…" She sighed and rearranged her expression to fix him with her usual superior smirk. "Just let me get my gun and I'm ready for whatever you want to throw at me next."

The Time Lord rolled his eyes and groaned. Then he grinned back and unlocked the TARDIS. Evie pushed past him into the blue box, not noticing the Doctor watching curiously.

– THE END –

* * *

><p><em><strong>Spoilers! I've been working on the next Evie Jones story… want a sneak peak? I warn you, I'll only post it if I get comments letting me know what you think! :P<strong>_

_**READY?**_

_The Doctor followed Santa to the medical centre, wondering what damage the teenager had done to herself this time. Every single time he let her out of his sight something bad happened. Maybe he should confine her to the TARDIS… or put her on one of those baby harnesses? Surely that would stop her getting into trouble? On the other hand, this was Evie Jones he was thinking about; he was sure she'd manage to get herself into trouble in a locked, empty box._

_**Why is the Doctor with Santa? What's Evie done now? Does she still have the laser gun?**_

_**There are LOTS of questions, a few old faces and some rather festive things happening! Who says I can't have Christmas in May! ;)**_

'_**Snow Globe' is coming soon! But only if you comment, lovely people! :)**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Snow Globe is here:<strong>_ .net/s/7006629/1/ _**Check it out! :D**_


End file.
